Duergar
"Yes, I have considered the welfare of innocent passers by. That is why the blades are poisoned." Duergar, from the North of England, are closely realated to the dwarves of Germany and Scandinavia. They are unfriendly, and play malicious, sometimes fatal, tricks on the unsuspecting. one such example is of a traveller who sat through the night by a fire, with a Duergar who tried to persuade him to move to take a log to put on the fire, only to find at the break of dawn that the fire, and the stone hut in which it was situated, were illusions, and he was in fact sitting precariously on top of a high crag, from which he would have fallen to his death had he moved to pick up the log. Description These kithain are hostile and reject those who would try to befriend them. They do not show any outward ain of pleasure from such behaviour, but no-one has ever managed to sway one from his cruel manner. They are otherwise similar in nature to dwarves; they share their aversion to sunlight, but not to such an extreme as their German relatives. They are also master smiths and craftsmen, but are less open about this side of their character. They have an affinity for the Scene realm. Appearance and Lifestyles Like dwarves, duergar are short and powerfully built, but with shorter, closer cut beards than their cousins. They too have oddly shaped feet (in the fae seeming), the secret of which they are even more protective of. For this reason, their clothing always reaches the floor to hide their strange feet, and it is simple in nature, to reflect their harsh character. Childlings show a striking aptitude for elementary physical principles. The grumpy bullies, their tantrums are comparable to the ferocity of redcap childlings. Wilders are individual, unforgiving, without real friends, perhaps lackeys or a twisted interpretation of "vassals". Academically, notably proficient in technological and "hands-on" skills. If anyone cares to remember them this far into their lives, Duergar reach the height of their hostility at the Grump stage. Imagine Mr. Heckles with a twisted hostility to . . . everyone. Spending his later life alone, a Duergar will easily find employment in industry or engineering, demonstrating an impressive natural ability for both. Of course, this is helped along with a little glamour, and duergar are far more disposed to using this to cruel ends. His ingenuity and cunning in preparing illusions and tricks are akin to those of a pooka grump, only they know full-well the potential for damage and disruption involved, and this is invariably the point. However, those rare duergar who decide, for reasons best known to themselves, to side with the Seelie Court, are much more like ordinary dwarves; the drive for hostility is beaten down as they concentrate in using their engineering skills to the best advantage, not just for themselves. It is almost unknown for an Unseelie duergar to have any true friends; those who get close enough are often simply being drawn in for some ghastly deception. Birthrights and Frailties As with any Kith, Duergar have a few traits exclusive to them. Birthrights Trickery: Despite their technological affinity, duergar employ a good deal of their time shocking, terrorizing and mutilating people with an array of horrible tricks. To represent this, duergar gain two free dots in Legerdemain, and can never botch any roll involving crafts. Frailties Hostile: Duergar are notoriously difficult to get along with. To supplment appropriate roleplaying of this frailty (be careful not to insult actual players), a duergar receives a -2 penalty to all social rolls, and a -1 penalty to all rolls involving etiquette. Views on Other Kith Boggans: They are fools to devote so much of their lives to the undeserving. Eshu: If they come round this way, they won't be returning for a good few . . . lifetimes. Nockers: Let their eyes burn green in their sockets. I would that they would do so literally. Pooka: Their appraisal of subterfuge is admirable; their so-called innocence is pitiful. Redcaps: If less brutish, they might be reasonable, maybe even worth the air they breathe. Satyrs: The weakness of their self-control becomes boring to test. Sidhe: Why do the masses not see the careless mispositioning of these wafting elflings? Sluagh: They at least understand the importance of a threat; experts in terror, they do their job well. Trolls: They do not support our efforts; still, they would be better placed on the forcedly vacated thrones of the sidhe. External Links http://www.angelfire.com/ca4/dataweaver/play/changeling/duergar.html